1. The invention pertains to an improvement to a miter saw table for locating dimensions on the table. In the art of finish carpentry, specifically moldings and decorative trim work, it is commonly understood that installing crown molding is a difficult and tedious task for professionals and “do-it-yourselfers”. Crown molding is a decorative trim generally seen in a room along the top of the walls where the wall meets the ceiling. The bottom edge of the molding lies against the wall, the top edge of the molding lies against the ceiling and the face of the molding lies at an angle between the wall surface and the ceiling surface. Although this is the most common application of crown molding it can be used elsewhere. The wall/ceiling location of crown molding is the focus of this explanation. A basic room has four walls, so a basic installation of crown molding in a room would have four inside corner joints. An inside corner is where two walls meet and face each other, usually at a 90 degree angle. Concepts explained here may be applied to other molding applications and for outside corner joints. On average there are more inside corner joints than any other joining of the molding. So emphasis may be placed on cutting crown molding for assembling inside corners joints, and emphasis may be placed on the design of tools used for cutting crown molding for assembling inside corner joints.
2. In the art, it is known, there are two methods of assembling an inside corner joint. The first method is a miter joint. This joint is made by beveling the end of two pieces of crown molding at equal compound angles but alternate directions to be joined at a corner. This method requires exact measuring, cutting and installing. Frequently, a miter joint will not fit properly after the molding is cut. Generally, the compound angle cut is incorrect and the molding piece may not be able to be adjusted or re-cut for use. The installer would have to begin this corner joint with a new piece of molding. The second method of joining an inside corner is a coped joint. A coped joint is completed by installing the first piece of molding on a wall with both ends of the molding cut square to butt against the adjacent walls. The second piece of molding for an adjacent wall is cut on one end (“a coped cut”) to match the profile of the first piece of molding. The coped cut is achieved by beveling a compound angle (“beveled cut”) on the end of the second piece of molding. Using a miter saw, there are two positions to perform the beveled cut for coping, the flat position and the nesting (or stand-up) position.
3. The flat position uses a compound miter saw. An installer using the flat position would place the molding face up or face down on the saw table and press the edge against the fence, swivel the blade at an angle to the fence, bevel the blade at an angle to the table, and cut the molding. The angles are available from charts and vary on the type of molding used.
4. The nesting position uses any miter saw that will accommodate the size of the molding. The installer using the nesting position would place the top edge of the molding on the saw table and the bottom edge of the molding against the fence. The back side of the molding will be at a diagonal between the saw table and the saw fence similar to the positions of the wall and ceiling where molding will be installed. With the saw blade perpendicular to the saw table, swivel the blade to 45 degrees for a 90 degree corner and complete the cut. The result will be a bevel cut to the end of this piece of molding. Swiveling the blade left or right would determine whether the molding will fit to the left side or right side of the corner.
5. Once beveled, the installer using a coping saw would cut off the bevel portion by cutting along the edge of the face of the molding. The installer would cut beyond a perpendicular line to the face of the molding to remove more than the bevel from the backside of the molding. This would allow the second piece of molding to pivot closer to or away from the first piece of molding while still fitting tight at the face. This pivoting would be needed if the original bevel cut was not the exact angle. The pivoting gives the installer the flexibility to fit a tight joint and may be the main reason for using the coping method. Once the bevel is removed, the end of the molding would have the contour of its own profile. When placed on the wall it would fit tightly against the first piece of molding completing the joint. There are other tools available for removing the bevel portion of the molding. It would be the installer's personal preference of the tool used to perform a coped cut.
6. Frequently, a correct coped cut will not fit properly against the first piece of molding. This is common in the art and generally is due to the imperfections with room construction or the molding, or installer error. If the coped cut was done properly, the most common reason it doesn't fit is because the projection dimension of the first piece of molding on the wall was not the same as the projection dimension of the second piece of molding on the saw table. This has occurred for decades and continues today. Through trial and error the installer eventually gets it to fit, but at the cost of additional labor time and expense and replacement material costs. The present invention teaches that this can be remedied by using the nesting position and molding projection dimensions on the miter saw.
7. The Crown Molding Scales of the present invention are measuring scales on the miter saw table to allow the installer to quickly transfer the projection dimension of molding on the wall to the projection location on the saw table. It is helpful for the installer to understand that the projection dimension is from where the bottom edge of the molding touches the wall plane to the face of the top edge of the molding. This is used as the projection dimension from the saw fence to place the top edge of the second piece of molding on the saw table. The projection dimension of crown molding is the key element in the process of two pieces being joined in an inside or outside corner. This projection dimension is the same as the dimension on the saw table that the top edge of the molding should be distanced or project from the saw fence to cut the bevel.
8. The Crown Molding Scales of the present invention will eliminate the need for and reduce errors caused by hand held tape measures or rulers used to locate the correct dimension on the miter saw table. The Crown Molding Scales may reduce errors caused by hand held tape measures or rulers used to locate the correct dimension on the miter saw table. The Crown Molding Scales offer flexibility as they are fixed unlike hand applied measurements, marks, pieces of tape or other temporary labeling devices placed on the miter saw table. The Crown Molding Scales could be placed on or in a new saw during production by a manufacturer. Or the Crown Molding Scales could be placed on or in a material to be placed on a new or old saw.